What is the Keeping Safe: Child Protection Curriculum?

The Keeping Safe: Child Protection Curriculum (KS:CPC) is a respectful relationships and child safety curriculum that teaches all children and young people they have the right to be safe and they can help themselves to be safe by talking to people they trust. The KS:CPC is delivered by teachers to children and young people each year from Age 3 to Year 12. Teachers who deliver the curriculum complete training in its use. The KS:CPC fits primarily within the Health and Physical Education learning area of the Australian Curriculum but can be taught across multiple learning areas.

Why is child protection important?

The Department for Education has a legal responsibility to protect children and young people from abuse in its own settings and in the wider community. All children and young people have a right to:

§ be treated with respect and to be protected from harm § feel and be safe in their interactions with adults and other children and young people § understand as early as possible, what is meant by ‘feeling and being safe’ § the support of school based counsellors or designated staff in their education or care environment whose role includes being an advocate for their safety and wellbeing (Child Protection in Schools, Early Childhood Education and Care Services Policy, 2015, p4).

Our Protective Behaviours focus for Term 3 is Recognising and Reporting Abuse. We will be covering topics such as:

  •      Privacy and the Body
  •      Touching
  •      Recognising Abuse
  •      Secrets
  •      Cyber safety
  •      Domestic and family violence (Year 6 upwards)

All year levels will be learning about ‘Privacy and the Body’ in a developmentally appropriate manner. We will refer to the anatomical names of the body. It is important that children know these names so they can explain any incidents accurately.

Useful resources:

Primary School

https://esafety.gov.au/iparent  https://www.1800respect.org.au

Middle School/ Senior School

http://tiny.cc/CallBodyPartsWhatTheyAre

https://esafety.gov.au/iparent  https://www.1800respect.org.au

We would greatly appreciate you talking to your child about these concepts before they are discussed in class.

We have also placed Concept Summaries and Parent Information sheets at each Reception should you wish for more information.

Should you require further information please contact your child’s classroom teacher or Nicole Brown (Primary School), Alison Grey or Emily Kerins (Middle and Senior School). We would be more than happy to share all aspects of our Protective Behaviours curriculum with you.

Our next Connect, Learn, Engage Parent Seminar is on 21st August, and will cover important aspects of Cyber safety in relation to Gaming and Excessive Use.


Written by Nicole Brown, Deputy Associate Principal - Primary School